The Main Event 2014 - World Class Thai Boxing

The Main Event- Harrison vs Wootton -7th June 2014

Following the success of our sold out event earlier this month, we are pleased to announce the next big step forward for The Main Event brand.
On 7th June 2014 the USN Bolton Arena will play host to the first of our arena shows. Capable of holding up to 5000 spectators, the arena has hosted many high profile events over the past few years, most recently WBA World champion boxer Scott Quigg’s fight vs William Prado in the Summer.
The card for this show will surpass any that we have previously seen and features, as always, some of the very best fighters in our sport.
Today we announce the first of many headlining fights penned in for this show.

This bout pits two of the stand out names in U.K. Muay Thai against one another in a fight that has been on the cards for a long time.
KO’s superstar Wootton boasts a record of 28 wins from 30 fights and is known for his amazing technical ability and slick fighting style. He has beaten the who’s who of Muay Thai names in the U.K including Panicos Yusuf, Paul Karpowicz and Luke Turner and is the current WMC MAD World Title holder.
Other notable scalps for the Londoner include wins over Thai champion Prathet Sor Thanikul and World champion Andre Kotsur. In addition to his impressive collection of Muay Thai wins, he has also competed several times under kickboxing rules and recently picked up the Enfusion World strap.
Harrison is coming off the back of a brilliant win over Frenchman Dylan Salvador on The Main Event earlier this month and has a busy start to 2014 planned. With more than 90 fights on his record he has long been considered one of the very best fighters on the planet, competing at the highest level for many years. He holds wins over countless Thai champions and recorded a spectacular win over Andrei Kulebin on our first The Main Event show in 2012, stopping the Belarussian in 3 rounds.

The excitement surrounding this fight alone has already reached fever pitch in the short time since it was leaked and we have already taken many orders for VIP packages and tickets!
We have many top level fights agreed for this event which we will release over the next couple of months.
Tickets will go on sale in December!

Our second fight sees U.K. ranked #2 Panicos challenge the current number 1 to determine who is the best lightweight in the U.K. This is a bout that the fans have wanted for some time and is a fantastic addition to The Main Event bill. Darren recorded the 22nd win of his career last weekend with a comfortable points win over a Spanish champion. He holds both the ISKA British and ISKA European titles and has beaten many of the top names in the U.K. including Keith Mclachlan, Jonno Chipchase and Paul Karpowicz, as well as recording wins over Thai and European opposition. His record currently reads 22 wins, 9 losses and 1 draw.
Panicos featured on our The Main Event – Straight To The Point show earlier this month, beating Scotland’s rising star Chris Shaw on points. He is regarded as one of the best fighters in Europe and has proven his talent on countless occasions, with wins over Ireland’s Josh Palmer and Thai champion Prathet Sor Thanikul on his impressive record. He is the current WRSA European champion and has been seeking the opportunity to challenge for the U.K. number 1 spot for some time. This is yet another top level fight on a Main Event card, with many more to come!

Tickets are available from midnight tonight - use promo code FIGHT to receive a 20% discount on all standard and ringside tickets for a limited time only! www.themaineventmanchester.com is the place to purchase, just follow the tickets link.

We will release more of the card in the new year, some top drawer fights still to be announced for this beauty

This bout will see two of the brightest stars on the UK kickboxing stage face off against each other in a fight that has been in the making for over a year. Sugden is the only UK fighter signed to a long-term contract with K-1 Global and defeated Spanish fighter Jorge Falcon in spectacular fashion with a first round knockout in Gran Canaria yesterday. With an amateur record spanning over 100 fights, he made his professional debut on The Main Event in 2012, taking a hard fought win over Joe Roberts. Since then he has gone on to win 11 of his 12 professional contests, beating high profile opponents Ryan Edmunson, Salah Abdulsalem and Costel Paniscuis, and picking up the ISKA oriental rules World Title in the process.
Trained by Steve Logan of K-Star Gym in Birmingham, Epps has notched up 32 victories out of 40 fights and is currently on a 13-fight winning streak. A busy 2013 saw him record stoppage wins over WBC National Champion Mike Egan and Ireland’s Jonno Bracken, as well as a comfortable points win over foreign opposition on his hometown show in September. In October 2012 Epps and Sugden both competed in the 8-Man Grand Prix Tournament in Warrington, with Epps defeating Brad Stanton and Kerrith Bhella in his first two matches while Sugden secured his place in the final with victories over Solomon Wickstead and Peter Tiarks. Injured in the semi-final, Epps was forced to withdraw in favour of Bhella, whom Sugden went on to beat convincingly on points for the title and the purse.
Finally these two will meet in what is set to be an explosive fight over three rounds. A win for either here could set up further potential fights on some of the top kickboxing promotions in the world, with scouts from across Europe in attendance at The Main Event!

Our next fight features the Fighter who, many would say, stole the show on our last event. Last years “break out” fighter Andrew Lofthouse finished an impressive 2013, which included wins over Brian Totty, Ross George and Adam Lee Mason, with an outstanding, fight of the night performance on November’s The Main Event. The unorthodox and entertaining Lofthouse will face off against the Keith Mclachan, UK’s number one ranked fighter at 59kg, in a catch weight contest matched at 60kg.

Tough as Teak Mclachlan is another fighter who can be likened to a good wine, gets better with age.
Keith brings a wealth of experience to the table with 23 fights on his record and has fought many top names over the past few years such as Darren O’connor, Ste Meleady and Oron Deachkalon, who many thought he was unlucky to lose to in the final of a Super 8 tournament. He holds wins over wins over Stevie Brown, Carl Copestake and former Thai champion Rung.

Another "call em” fight, it once again underlines the Usual Suspects mission to bring together the very best fighters out there and provide a spectacle few can match

This is a fight which can have only one description - Knock Out! Between them these fighters have won 85% of their fights inside the distance.

UK number 1, unbeaten Carlos Degraca, follows his impressive 5th round stoppage of David Sa on The Main Event in November by defending his number 1 spot against hard-hitting Scotsman Darren Howeison. DeGraca’s performance against Sa brought him plaudits from many respected figures within the sport and took his unbeaten record to 10-0-1, with 8 of those coming by way of knockout. With his devastating knockout power and explosive style, he is the man to beat in the cruiserweight division in the UK.
On current form, 6ft 6” Howeison is one of the most dangerous 85kg fighters on the circuit and has racked up a perfect record of 9 straight wins, all inside the distance, picking up a Scottish title in the process. Currently sitting 3rd in the UK rankings, he will be looking to extend his perfect record and knock Carlos off the top spot, with future European opportunities on the horizon…

With 17 combined stoppages in their 20 bouts, this fight is guaranteed to be brutally action packed and explosive –while it lasts.

Very much a ‘don’t blink’ match, one thing is for certain… someone’s ‘0’ has got to go!

Former British and Commonwealth amateur champion Paige will face her toughest challenge to date in the form of WMC and ISKA European champion Ariana Santos, who has more than 60 fights experience under her belt. Santos is no stranger to fighting in the U.K, having claimed a 2nd round TKO victory over British number 1 Emma Bragg on The Main Event in November. Paige counts numerous European opponents on her record and her come forward, aggressive style will undoubtedly cause problems for the highly regarded Portuguese fighter, with a win potentially propelling her onto the World stage.

Following on from their electric performances at the weekend, this fight is the one everyone is asking for.
We had already been working to secure this fight for several weeks and are delighted to announce that an agreement has been reached for the newly crowned UK number 1 welterweight Reece Mccallister to defend his top spot against Brad Stanton, who currently occupies 4th position in the rankings. Both these young fighters are hot property in the Muay Thai world and have been demolishing all opponents in their way for some time now. Current UK number 1 and former amateur bronze medallist Mccallister has a wealth of junior experience behind him and lived in Thailand for a period where he fought more than a dozen times. With a hugely impressive record of 44 wins from 50 professional contests, he is rightly seen as one of the most special talents the UK has produced in recent years. In his last fight he put on a Muay Thai masterclass against former UK number 1 Tim Thomas, dethroning the man from Bedford with a wide points victory and with an amazing display that left the fans begging for more.
Stanton has been making huge waves on the UK Muay Thai scene, has been tipped as a future star of the sport from the very beginning of his career, and is undoubtedly the biggest threat to Reece’s number one spot. His aggressive fighting style has seen him make light work of numerous high calibre opponents in the past 12 months including Josh Palmer, Adrian Wedolowski and Sam Omomogbe. His only losses in his 23 fight career are one by a cut and another under K1 rules, as a last minute entry into an eight man tournament in a heavier weight category. In his last fight he beat the highly rated Wayne Fisher in ruthless fashion within a round.
These two athletes have an exciting fighting style, backed up by the confidence of youth, with the skill to support. Both are attacking fighters with plenty of knock out power across a full range of weapons. This is the fight the UK wants... The Main Event will deliver!

This is a fight that seems to have been brewing for an eternity - these fighters and their respective camps have been exchanging words for some time. WRSA world champion Jackson needs no introduction on the Muay Thai stage in the U.K, having enjoyed a successful career during which he has faced some of the very best opposition in his weight class, including Ben Hodge, Kris Addis, Craig Jose and Simon Chu. After some time out following his successful World title bid in June 2012, he returned to the ring in February with a 3rd round TKO victory over a Spanish opponent. Next up he will take on rising star, WKA European champion Solomon Wickstead, who has been very active of late in both the UK and abroad, having fought the likes of Ben Hodge and Abdallah Mebel and in recent months. Solomon also took French star Dylan Salvador the distance in August 2012 when he was just 17. A 1st round KO victory of Liverpool’s Anthony Barton in his last fight stands him in good stead coming into this bout and he and his camp are convinced they have what it takes to take the bragging rights back to Wythenshawe.

This is one of the biggest domestic matchups available at the moment and has already grabbed the attention of fight fans across the country. Both fighters have a fantastic loyal and noisy set of supporters, and you can guarantee the roof will be blown off the USN Arena!